Letter to the Editor: Shoreline Greenway Trail needs to be rejected

Published 1:37 pm, Friday, June 16, 2017

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Letter to the Editor: Shoreline Greenway Trail needs to be rejected

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I write to point out that the shoreline towns are being played against each other at their peril by the Shoreline Greenway Trail. Separately, each is asked to approve tiny portions of what is in fact a regional plan. This is a rat sneaking snippets of cheese, hoping you won’t notice ’til the pantry is clean.

The latest raid is on Madison’s western end, the part which would connect to Guilford’s (failed) trail. That trail was turned down — overwhelmingly — by the Guilford Board of Selectmen, following the largest public turnout that town had ever seen.

I’m a Guilford resident. I’ve watched this rat for more than a year now. I’ll say this — he’s persistent. After failing to snitch multiple pieces of Land Trust land, Leete land, and Yale land, he’s now going after the only thing left: highway right of way (ROW) land. That’s getting very personal for everyone along Route 1 and Route 146 through all of our shoreline towns.

What is the ROW you ask? It’s what the state owns which contains the paved road. But it’s much wider than the road itself. If you live along the Post Road, ask yourself: “Do I want a ten-foot-wide paved “mini” road running across the front of my house?” Do you want that rat eating those shade trees in your yard; paving over what was grass; tearing up your stone wall; and finally spending your town’s money for the stack of engineering drawings this requires?

I didn’t think so.

Guilford has looked at this hard and said “no.” Madison: save yourself some trouble. Put this thing out of its misery.